Take an in-depth look at the different aspects involved when selecting sustainable materials and suppliers for your projects.
World Bank Group
Steel is a 100% recyclable material with loss in material properties. It is labelled as a “permanent material” and an “ambassador of circular economy”.
Aluminium is a circular material that can be recycled indefinitely without losing its initial properties. It is a fundamental element of a circular material economy.
PET is a highly energy-efficient material and is, in fact, the most recycled plastic material. Upon recycling, its feedstock can be recollected and reused.
PLA is a biodegradable polymer that is produced from renewable raw materials. It is known to have one of the lowest carbon footprints of all plastic material.
Henk Alssema, Vita Plastics (NDL), Chairman Plastics Committee
Steel: leading the way
Alexis Van Maercke, Secretary General of APEAL
Partner steel suppliers:
Aluminium: the runner-up
Partner aluminium suppliers:
PET plastic: a strong contender
Less usage of raw materials: new bottle preforms can be produced with ~35% regranulate, thus saving a relative amount of crude oil that would have been needed to generate new granulate.
Less energy requirements: recycling of plastics uses around 12% the energy needed to produce plastics from raw materials.
Sustainable PET in action
Preventing plastics from reaching the oceans
VYPET™ VNT-102 HS is a mixed-colour unfilled PET that is produced from 99% ocean bound plastics. It’s just one way that Lavergne, a supplier of high-quality resin made from recycled plastic, is doing their bit to make plastic circular. Learn more about this material.
Making electrical parts from post-consumer recycled plastic
VYPET™ VNT 615FR is a 15% fiberglass-reinforced flame-retardant PET compound that is processed with injection moulding and designed for electrical and structural applications. Its content includes post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic while maintaining excellent mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Learn more about this material.
High-temperature performance with recycled PET compound
VYPET™ VNT 340 SK is a 40% glass/mineral-reinforced PET injection-moulding compound designed particularly for electrical applications where equal flow / cross dielectric properties are required. Used in electric motors, ignition systems, and grills, this PET compound exhibits excellent high-temperature properties, all the while having PCR content. Learn more about this material.
Partner PET suppliers:
HDPE plastic: another sturdy challenger
Partner HDPE suppliers:
Glass: the good old rival
Partner glass suppliers:
But that’s not all...
Supplier | Material | Description |
---|---|---|
Total Corbion PLA | PLA Luminy® LX530 | It is a medium flow, fibre-grade resin with a 100% biobased content. It is both biobased and biodegradable. |
Feconix Pte Ltd | NuPlastiQ® BC 27240 | It is a biodegradable biopolymer designed for film and bag applications that require biodegradation and are intended for compost environments. |
Extrudr | extrudr Wood Filament | It is a biodegradable material that contains wood fibres, PLA, copolyester and additives. It imitates wood in its smell and aesthetic. |
Extrudr | extrudr Flax Filament | It is made from a renewable biodegradable biopolymer developed for use in rapid prototyping and design. |
Partner suppliers of biodegradable materials:
Recycled Material | Minimum CO2 emission savings (2019) |
---|---|
Recycled Material | 92% |
Copper | 65% |
Iron | 58% |
Paper | 18% |
Nickel | 90% |
Zinc | 76% |
Copper | 99% |
Tin | 99% |
Olivier Francois, Chairman International Environment Council
Partner suppliers of low-carbon-footprint materials: